Newfound Independence
by Azkedelia
Summary: On his first ever visit to Gringotts, Harry finds out that the Great and Powerful Albus Dumbledore is nothing more than a mass manipulator. With a little help from his new friends, he starts to break out from under Dumbledore's thumb, and learns to enjoy his Newfound Independence. 1ST IN THE INDEPENDENCE SERIES! Manipulative!Dumbledore Independent!Harry Powerful!Harry DEFINITELY AU
1. Deviating From The Plan

**The only disclaimer I will do! I do not gain anything from this, except escapism. It all belongs to J.K Rowling. This is incredibly AU and characters will be OOC, so please don't tell me, as I already know, and it's the way they're supposed to be. ENJOY!**

'Thoughts _in italics'_  
 ** _'Parseltongue in bold italics'_**

Deviation from the Plan

 **"Welcome Harry, t' Diagon Alley!"**

Harry was gobsmacked as he stood next to Hagrid. The sounds, sights and smells that hit his senses, nearly bowled him over. Shrieks from excited children, and squawks from owls perched in cages, slammed into his ears. The sights in front of him were a feast for his badly developed eyes, hundreds of people milling about, going about their shopping. _I could spend hours here, and still have things to look at!_ He thought.

"Righ', we'll be wantin' t' go t' Gringotts first! Follow me 'arry." Hagrid told him, whilst marching off towards a rather imposing white building. Harry's little legs couldn't move fast enough to keep up with the half-giant's enormous strides.

"What's Gringotts Hagrid?" He asked curiously, whilst he tried to get a peak into every shop they went past.

"Blimey Harry, I keep forgettin' those damned muggles never told you anythin'. Gringotts is the wizardin' bank, it's run by Goblins, so don't stare at 'em. They're nasty li'l buggers." Hagrid replied. Harry thought that was a bit mean, but decided to see what the goblins were actually like, before forming an opinion of an entire race of beings.

Harry's eyes bulged slightly as they walked through into the foyer of the bank, desks as high as Hagrid's chest ran down two sides of the room, and the most terrifying of creatures sat at them. Slightly green in complexion, with pointy ears, waxy skin and long noses; the goblins appeared to be a fearsome bunch. Hagrid led Harry up to an imposing desk that seemed to be even higher than the others. Upon the top sat a little name plate that said 'Head Teller Gork'.

"Af'ernoon, I'm here t' take Harry Potter t' 'is vault, and then after I nee' t' nip in an' collect somethin' from vault 713, on official Hogwarts Business. Mr Dumbledore gave me a letter t' give t' you." Hagrid explained to Head Teller Gork, and then passed over a sealed envelope. Gork opened and read the letter, before looking from Hagrid to Harry.

"Very well, and does Mr Potter have his key?" Gork inquired.

"Ah, I've go' it 'ere." Stated Hagrid, before he pulled it out from one of his numerous pockets, and passed it to Gork.

"And why do you have his key, rather than Mr Potter himself having it?" He glared at Hagrid, before turning to face Harry. "Mr Potter, there are some very important things that need to be discussed with you that are considered urgent, after you have visited your vault, would you please come and speak to me again, and we can deal with these issues in a timely manner."

Hagrid started to huff and puff, this was not going how Dumbledore said it would. He was on a specific time scale, and had to be back to Hogwarts by a certain time.

"NO, he'll have t' come back another day, we have t' get all his school equipment, and then I need t' get back. We haven't got time." Hagrid glared at the Goblin.

"Well, why don't you get his supplies for him? The only thing he needs to do personally is get his wand. I'm sure by the time you've got everything else, we will be finished. These issues must be dealt with today. I'm sure the good headmaster would understand." He glared at Hagrid, forcing him to do as he said.

"Hagrid, if Mr Gork says it's important, then it must be. If Gringotts is anything like the banks in the muggle world, then they don't muck about wasting time, if they need something done immediately, then it has to be incredibly important. If we do my vault first, then you can do whatever you need to do, whilst I come back up here and sort out the problems." Harry was slightly shocked with how much he'd just said, it was quite possibly the most he'd ever spoken, in his entire life. Hagrid wasn't very happy about it all, but he couldn't exactly throw a hissy fit, without it looking rather suspicious. So he simply nodded his ascent.

Gork called over another Goblin called Griphook, who led them over to the carts, and escorted them down to Harry's vault. The thrill Harry felt during the journey down to his vault was euphoric. Even Hagrid's green complexion and complaints of feeling sick weren't enough to dampen his spirits. If this was what a rollercoaster was like, then Harry finally understood what Dudley's boastful bragging was all about.

Harry's excitement only increased when Griphook opened his vault for him. He couldn't believe this was all his! Piles of gold, silver and bronze coins in mounds.

"Mr Griphook, what precisely are these coins?" Harry asked politely.

Griphook was astounded at how polite and mild-mannered the young man was. He'd never been called Mr before. He was starting to like the young Potter boy, but still felt that being called Mr, just wasn't normal, although he appreciated the respect.

"Mr Potter, I must insist you call me Griphook, although I do thank you for the kindness and respect you have shown me, it is incredibly rare for a Goblin to even be called their name, let alone be called Mr. You have showed me a great kindness. Now, the gold ones are Galleons, the silver ones are Sickles and the bronze ones are Knuts. 29 Knuts to a Sickle, and 17 Sickles to a Galleon. In today's market, a Knut it worth about a penny, a Sickle is worth about 29 pence, and a Galleon is just under 5 pounds. I'll write it down for you to help you remember."

"Thank you Griphook, I'd like it if you called me Harry, it sounds odd being called Mr Potter. Is there a way that I can access my money without having to come back to refill a bag up with coins?" Harry enquired politely.

"Very well, Harry. And yes, we have two ways of doing that, one is a bag that has direct access to your vault, it can only be used by you, and all you have to do is hold it whilst stating how much money you want, and the money will appear in the bag. When you come of age, you will then have access to something that looks like a muggle debit card, it works in both the muggle and magical world, and it means you haven't got to worry about changing your money to muggle money. But until you're of age, it's not something I can offer you. Would you like to have one of the bags though? It costs 15G for the bag, and an annual charge of 10G for the use of the service?" Griphook explained, delighted to be helping the young wizard who was so polite to him.

"That's good to know, can I get one of those bags today? It would make it a lot easier to be able to use it as and when I need it, rather than having to get someone to bring me here, every time I need a refill." Harry requested, as he smiled down at the unusually friendly Goblin.

"Certainly, I'll make sure it's dealt with at your meeting. Now, I've summoned another goblin to come and collect Hagrid, so he can go and do what he needs to. In the mean time, I'll take you to the meeting." He guided Harry and the still stressed out Hagrid, away from his vault, and sealed it back up. He then led Harry to the cart and waited until the other goblin arrived in another cart to escort Hagrid, before taking Harry back up the ground level.

Once back up to ground level, Griphook escorted Harry along a thin corridor. Half way down, he stopped them outside of a door that had a name plate attached. It read:

'Senior Director Ragnok'

Griphook knocked politely on the door, before escorting Harry in. Griphook knew that arriving without an appointment wouldn't be taken well, but he hoped that because it was the much needed appointment with Mr Potter, that maybe he'd get away with it. Ragnok looked up at them from his seat at his desk, with a most displeased look on his face. That was, until he actually took a closer look at Harry and realised who he was. Upon realising, he jumped out of his seat and wandered over to the boy as quickly as he could, without giving away that he was actually excited to see him.

"Senior Director sir, I brought Mr Harry Potter to see you sir. I'm aware that you needed to see him urgently sir, and I hope I haven't caused offence by barging into your office without an appointment." He got down on one knee and bowed his head in a display of submission to his better.

"Rise Griphook, you are correct, and due to how important this meeting is, I will display leniency and forget this little transgression. But only this once!" Ragnok gave him a stern eye, before dismissing him and guiding Harry over to one of the plush seats facing his desk.

"Please, Mr Senior Director Ragnok, sir. I don't want Mr Griphook to get in trouble. Mr Gork said that the issues needed to be dealt with as soon as possible, I didn't realise that I needed to make an appointment. It's my fault for not asking. Please don't take it out on Mr Griphook." Harry gaze dropped to his shoes, sad and scared that he'd got the nice Goblin in trouble.

Ragnok looked at Harry as if he'd just jumped onto his desk and performed the Cancan. He'd never heard a wizard ever talk of a Goblin with such respect before. To call one by name was incredible, but to actually call one Mr! It was astounding the respect that he was showing. Ragnok was incredibly impressed with the young man. _Well, Mr Potter, you've certainly gone up in my estimations. Perhaps, this meeting will be more fruitful than I expected!_ He thought.

"Do not panic, Mr Potter, Griphook will not be in trouble for his actions today. Now, do you know what this meeting is about Mr Potter?" Ragnok asked him politely. Given the politeness the boy was showing, he decided to be polite right back.

"No sir, I only know that it's important. Although, the fact that it's being done without Hagrid present leads me to believe it must be highly confidential too." Harry replied.

"Correct Mr Potter. It's all with regards to your accounts. We've noticed that there have been some odd removals from several of your vaults, and they seem mighty suspicious. Are you aware that your parent's Will was never read?" Ragnok queried.

"I didn't even know they had a Will, sir. I've never been told about it. In fact my parents were never mentioned, if it could be helped, whilst I was growing up." Harry looked back down at his feet miserably.

"Mr Potter, might I ask where exactly you grew up, and whom you grew up with?" Ragnok was starting to get mildly worried. As his prerogative as Sr. Director, he had the right to read a will before it was read out. Having done so with the Potter's Will, even though it never got read, he was aware that Mr Potter wasn't to be placed with his Aunt and Uncle under any circumstances. He had a sinking feeling in his gut, that that's exactly where Mr Potter had been placed.

"I grew up and live in Little Whinging in Surrey with my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, sir." Harry looked at him curiously. He'd had years of practice at being able to read people's emotions, it kept him out of Vernon's reach often enough to keep himself out of trouble. He was getting the distinct impression that Ragnok was most definitely not happy.

"And, do you happen to know who decided that you should be living with your Aunt and Uncle, Mr Potter?" Ragnok had a feeling that he knew exactly who had placed Harry there, and it was the same person who'd prevented the Potter's Will from being read.

"That would be Headmaster Dumbledore, Sir. He had Hagrid collect me and bring me to the Dursleys, where they left me on the doorstep with a letter. I was dumped there just like the morning milk, and the Dursley's have never let me forget it." Harry's ears turned red and he blushed with anger at how he had been treated as a baby, and all his childhood.

"Mr Potter, according to all the information I have gathered, Headmaster Dumbledore is most certainly not looking after your welfare. He assigned himself as your Guardian within the magical world, even though that went against your parent's Will. He also was the one who stopped their Will from being read, stating that it was unnecessary. This prevented you from being placed with the family that your parents chose for you to go to. According to the Will you were to be placed with the Longbottoms, as Alice Longbottom is your Godmother. If you couldn't be placed there for whatever reason, you were to be placed with your Godfather Sirius Black, and should that not be possible, you were to be placed with Minerva McGonagall the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. You were not to be placed in the care of your Aunt and Uncle under any circumstances. And yet that was exactly what happened. Furthermore, after some investigating with regards to the discrepancies within your accounts, we discovered it was Dumbledore that was causing these issues, by accessing your accounts with a supposed letter you'd written giving him express permission. I am going to assume, since he is clearly not looking out for your welfare at all, that you did not write that letter?" Ragnok rounded off his rather long explanation of the issues with a soft sigh. It was rare for him to say as much as he had, he was know to be a Goblin of few words.

Harry was gobsmacked. After hearing all these great things about Dumbledore from Hagrid, he was starting to realise that maybe the half-giant had been brainwashed, as the headmaster certainly didn't sound like a 'great man'. In fact he sounded like a bit of a bastard. But at once it was incredibly clear to Harry, Dumbledore was not to be trusted.


	2. The Regent Of House Longbottom

'Thoughts in itallics'  
 **'Parseltongue in bold itallics'**

The Regent of House Longbottom

Senior Director Ragnok could feel the bubbling anger, rolling off the young Mr Potter, in waves. It became evidently clear that Harry understood that Dumbledore wasn't to be trusted. There were many things left that needed to be discussed, he only hoped the young boy would be able to cope with the onslaught of information he was about to get.

"Now, Mr Potter.."

"Please Sir, call me Harry. Mr Potter was my dad after all, and it feels odd to be called Mr Potter.." Harry was still looking down at his shoes. Ragnok began to get worried at the constant display of submissive attitude.

"Okay, Harry, if that would make you feel more comfortable, and you may call me Ragnok if you like, but only when we're alone. Even the other goblins don't get to call me Ragnok!" He chuckled a little at the bewildered expression upon Harry's face and winked at him.

Harry was certainly nervous, what he was starting to understand to be a goblin's smile, looked more like a grimace, and it was terrifying to look at. But Ragnok's wink put him at ease a bit.

"Now, as I was saying, there are many things we need to do today, and a few decisions also need to be made. First of all, as absurd as it must appear, as I've already divulged quite a bit of information with you, we need to ascertain that you are in fact definitely Harry Potter. This little test will also check to see whether you are an heir of any other houses, and it also includes a full health check! It's very simple to do, and only requires three drops of your blood on an enchanted piece of parchment. Would you allow me to do that? Ragnok asked.

Harry nodded, curious as to what Ragnok meant about being an heir to other houses. Surely he was only the heir of the Potter house? He was also a little worried about the health check, he knew full well he was small for his age. He watched as Ragnok summoned a small silver ceremonial dagger, and a large bit of parchment, that seemed to glow faintly. Ragnok indicated for him to hold out his hand, and then gently prodded the pad of his thumb with the tip of the blade. Three drops of his blood dripped down onto the parchment, before a flash similar to that of a muggle camera illuminated the room.

Harry looked down at his thumb expecting to see a small cut, only to find it blemish free. He looked up at Ragnok in surprise, to see the Goblin's sly smile. They both turned their attention to the parchment in front of them, Harry didn't understand most of what it said, but Ragnok seemed highly interested, and also a little worried.

HARRY JAMES POTTER

 _HEIR TO:  
-The Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter_

HEIR APPARENT TO:  
-The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black

HEIR-AT-LAW TO:  
-The Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Merlin  
-The Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Slytherin  
-The Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Ravenclaw  
-The Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Hufflepuff  
-The Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Gryffindor  
-The Most Ancient and Most Noble House of LeFay

HEALTH:  
Malnourished  
Hairline fractures in both legs (Badly healed, will leave slight limping)  
Sprained wrist  
Optic Nerve damage (Caused by concussion)  
Cursed scar (Horcrux contained within)

BINDS AND CHARMS: (All placed by Albus Dumbledore)  
Natural animagus abilities blocked  
Elemental magic blocked  
Magical core (reduced to 40%)  
Metamorphmagus abilities blocked  
Natural Healing magic partially blocked  
Loyalty charm  
Compulsion charm

Harry was a tad perplexed, most of the words on the paper meant very little to him, but he was worried about how much Dumbledore had done to him. Ragnok on the other hand was chomping at the bit, he was about ready to behead the crackpot old fool. The things he had done to the Potter heir, were grounds for an immediate freeze on all his accounts, and a permanent ban from all branches of Gringotts throughout the world. He intended to screw the old fart over as much as possible, for the damage he had done to the young heir.

"Once we have finished getting all the paperwork in order, would you like to have all these blocks and binds removed? We can also fix all of the physical damage your useless guardians have inflicted upon you?" Ragnok asked the clearly confused Harry.

"Will it hurt?" Harry asked, a little worried.

"Only marginally, but I assure you the positives from having them all removed far outweigh the slight pain you'll feel." Ragnok explained.

"Okay, I'll do it then." Harry smiled at the director for the first time, before realising he was looking directly into his eyes, and quickly looked at the floor again.

"This test also shows that we can finally open up six of our temporarily closed vaults. However there is a lot you need to learn before we can truly act upon this discovery, for a start you need to learn all about the Most Ancient and Noble Houses. For that I would also recomend we remove Dumbledore as your magical guardian, however there is only one way to do this, and I feel you are most definitely under prepared for it. The House of Potter is one of the few 'Most Ancient and Noble' houses. In the wizarding world, the government, called the Wizengamot, is made up of leading members from society, each member is the head of a house, ranging from 'Clans' to 'Most Ancient and Most Noble'. The Potter house is in the tier down from the top tier. Which means they have a high up seat in the Wizengamot. Now, as the only living Potter, that position falls to you, if you had an of-age living magical relative, they would have been able to hold the seat for you until your age of maturity, which is sixteen. Because you don't have any magical relatives, you're able to claim it at age 11, however, you have to choose a proxy, to vote in you stead, as you're still too young to take your seat as a proper member. Now according to your parents will, that proxy was chosen to be Frank Longbottom, your godmother's husband. However he currenly resides in St Mungo's Hospital. I would recomend you choose Frank's mother, Madame Augusta Longbottom, who has taken up the Longbottom seat in the Wizengamot, as Regent. The Longbottoms have held an allegiance with House Potter for decades, almost a century. They are definitely people you can trust."

Harry's eyes bulged a bit at this influx of information, he had no real grasp of the wizarding world, and he was starting to panic a little. His brain focused on one bit of information that kept sticking out to him.

"Who are the Longbottoms?" Harry asked.

"Ah! A good question. How about I floo call Madame Longbottom and see if she can come down and meet you. She'd also be perfect for teaching you the ways of the 'Most Ancient and Noble' houses, as the Longbottoms also hold that title. I'll be back in two seconds!" Ragnok explained, before hoping off his seat and wandering over to the fireplace.

Harry watched in horror as Ragnok grabbed a pot of green powder, chucked some into the flames, which turned them green, and then proceeded to stick his face in the flames. He squeaked, half expecting the Senior Directors face to start melting off. Bizarrely he could hear Ragnok having a conversation, albeit a one sided one. Ragnok then lent back and stood out of the way of the fire, face intact, before a rather large and formidable looking woman stepped through, and looked about the office until her eyes settle on Harry. He quickly stood up as she stepped forwards and held a hand out to him. His manners shaking him out of his startled reverie, he took her hand and placed a kiss on her knuckle, sensing that was what she expected of him.

"How do you do, Mr Potter." She enquired.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Madame Longbottom." Harry replied before looking over to Ragnok for guidance.

"That's it Harry, now you offer Madame Longbottom a chair, and wait until she is seated before you sit yourself down." He smiled encouragingly at the young boy. Harry nodded in reply and proceeded to do as he was instructed.

"Now, that introductions are in order, Madame Longbottom, I must press upon you an urgent matter. Young Harry's finances are being meddled with by Albus Dumbledore. He's also registered himself as Harry's Magical Guardian, but that goes against his parents will, which I'm sure you're already aware of, that Dumbledore wouldn't allow to be read. Your son and daughter-in-law, were the first people Harry was supposed to be placed with, upon his parents death. Obviously that wasn't an option at the time. With Sirius Black in Azkaban, his role as next in line was also veto'd. After that he should have gone to Minerva McGonagall, however Dumbledore decided to place baby Harry on the doorstep of his Muggle relatives, like the morning milk. I trust you can see how diabolical this all is?" Ragnok explained.

To say Augusta was absolutely livid was an understatement. She was filled with such imeasurable pride when Alice was announced to be Harry's Godmother, and Lily Potter was announced to be her grandson Neville's Godmother. It was another sign of allegiance between the two allied houses. Even with Alice and Frank in St Mungo's, she knew in her heart that she would have gladly taken guardianship of this young man. In her eyes he was family, and there was nothing more important than that. And the great meddling old coot had taken that away from her. ' _Muggles, MUGGLES! This is a bloody outrage, I won't stand for it any longer, that meddling bastard can get stuffed. If I have to I'll take the boy back with me today. But there seems to be more to this than meets the eye. Hold yourself steady a minute Augusta. Let's find out all the facts first!'_ She thought, calming herself down considerably.

"Yes, I can see that there is a great deal wrong with this entire situation, might I ask why I've been brought into it? I'm not sure what I'm able to do about it all. I hardly have the power to control the meddling old coot who likes to play master manipulated." She enquired.

"Harry is starting to realise just how manipulative Dumbledore is, and I believe he wants to get out from under his thumb. With only two weeks before he's due to start Hogwarts, the time frame to do it all in is limited. First off, I propose that he goes through the ceremony of accepting his title as Head of the House of Potter. He'd gain his ring, and he'd have control of who sits in the Potter seat on the Wizengamot. At the moment Dumbledore has taken it upon himself to sit in Harry's stead. I'm quite sure, Harry wants him removed from it as quickly as possible. I propose that you take over as Proxy, thereby allowing him to have someone trustworthy in his seat, and it gives him the chance to learn what being on the Wizengamot means, and what being the head of a Most Ancient and Noble House means. He'd be able to learn all of this from you." Ragnok suggested, Harry nodding along at each point showing his agreement to it, whilst still looking down at the floor.

"I'm agreeable to all you have suggested, as long as it's what Harry wants. Now you mentioned that Dumbledore was meddling with accounts, how so, if you don't mind me asking?" Augusta enquired.

"Unfortunately I would only be able to explain, if you were Harry's Magical Guardian. And that would be something Harry would have to decide. And, if he did agree to it, would you be able to put him up? Do you have enough space and money to look after him? I have no knowledge of the Longbottom accounts, I believe Snart is the one in charge of those?"

"We have the funds and the space available, I'd quite happily become Harry's Guardian is he was agreeable to it."

Harry looked up sharply, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He might finally be able to get away from the Durselys, and their vicious beatings. No more Cupboard-bedrooms, no more chore's list as long as his arm. No more starvation and dehydration! He looked directly into Augusta's eye for the first time since he'd met her.

"Would you really do that for me? You'd take me away from those evil people? Even though you've never met me before in your life?!" Tears started to brim Harry's eyes, as he thought of the sanctuary this amazing, if a little scary, woman was willing to provide.

Augusta had a distinctly sour taste in her mouth, the minute Harry said evil people. From the soft growl she heard coming from Ragnok, she realised he'd understood that too. For a child, as young as Harry to refer to someone as evil, especially the people who were supposed to be looking after him, set a spark off in her brain. She immediately took a discreet closer look at Harry, and was shocked to realise that he was all skin and bones, and severley malnourished. His face was gaunt, and his skin so tight to his cheekbones, he looked like he's sucked on a lemon. His clothes were grey and enormous, hiding his skeletal body. As he adjusted in his seat a little, the enormous tshirt he was wearing shifted, and she spotted long bruises in the distinct shape on a handprint on his neck. _"Abused! He's been fucking abused! I won't stand for it, that's it he's coming home with me, and if I ever see those demonic muggles, I swear I'll strangle them all myself!"_ She thought, her mind made up in an instant.

"Mr Potter, how would you like to come and live with me at the Longbottom Estate, with my brother Algie and my grandson Neville, he's the same age as you. You'd never have to see those vile muggle relatives again, except to pop with me there later, to gather your belongings. You can learn all you'd like about magic, and your parents, and I'll help you learn all about being a head of a Most Ancient and Noble House?" She asked him, not in the least bit surprised, when he started bouncing up and down in his chair, beyond excited.

"Yes, yes please. I'd love to. And I'll do any chores you ask of me, I'll even cook for you! I'll earn my keep, so you won't ever regret it. And I'll stay in my cupboard when you have friends round, so they won't even know I'm there. I'll be good I promise!" Harry rambled on, begging her to not change her mind. A tear slid down Augusta's cheek and Ragnok dived out of the room at such a speed that the door banged against the wall, making Harry flinch out of his ramblings.

"Oh you sweet sweet child, what did those bastards do to you?" The usually mild mannered and formidable woman, didn't even realise her use of profanities. She slowly and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder, and encouraged him in for a hug. Harry flinched as her hand came into contact with his shoulder, expecting it to hurt. Her eyes widened even further and she sobbed openly for a minute before reigning her emotions back in. "I will never hurt you child, and physical contact between you and I will only ever be hugs of affection and love, I will never raise my hand to you sweet child." She gently placed her hand on his arm whilst he eye'd it warily, before he gently placed his own on her other arm, whilst looking into her eyes, trying to read her emotions.

"Okay." He said timidly, expecting the dowager to suddenly change her mind.

"Right, let's get as much of this straightened out as possible, and then we can head straight over to the Dursley's with the relevant documents to get your guardianship passed over to me. Does that sound agreeable to you? She asked him calmly.

Tears of hope sprung in Harry's eyes as he realised that he truly might finally be free from the hell he'd spent all of his life in. It was in that moment he decided he would do everything in his power to make this amazing Lady proud of him. And he would succeed.


End file.
